Posted by J. Jacques »
Add Comment »I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see Cheick Kongo take the win last night at UFC on Versus 4 in Pittsburgh. Kudos to Pat Barry for putting up a hell of fight but how can you root against a guy who looks like he could single-handedly defeat the War on Terror with one body kick? The fight started off as planned between the two strikers, but, after taking several bombs from Pat Barry it looked like Kongo was on the cusp of his first knockout loss since 2004. Kongo somehow managed to gain his composure, get back to his feet, and deliver a backpedaling right uppercut out of nowhere to take the knockout win. By far one of the best comeback victories in MMA history.
It’s not always easy being a Kongo fan. Kongo will show overwhelming dominance in one fight and turn around and get dominated in the next. Up until this point in his UFC career he has remained at best a heavyweight gatekeeper. Routinely defeating mid to lower rank heavyweights but always falling short against the divisions elite. A unanimous decision win over an aging Mirko CroCop being his most high profile win in the UFC to date. This followed by losses to former heavyweight champion Frank Mir, current heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, and a durable Heath Herring.
On the plus side, no one can deny the power and technique of Kongo’s stand up game. Kongo boasts an extensive kickboxing record including 21 wins with 12 knockouts prior to his migration to MMA. Eight of his past Eleven MMA victories have been by knockout, technical knockout, or submission by punches. But Kongo’s Achilles heel has always been his grappling and submission game. Frank Mir and current heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez wrote the book on how to defeat Kongo. Cain beat Kongo up against the cage and drilled him with takedowns while Mir landed a big shot and synced up a choke in the first round.
After the losses to Velasquez and Mir it’s assumed Kongo realized he will never become apart of the heavyweight elite unless he developed a grappling game. These improvements were showcased in his fight against Paul Buentello. Although this fight was marred with rule infractions on both sides Kongo clearly dominated the fight while keeping it on the ground. Riding a win into his next fight with Travis Browne, Kongo manages to backpedal in progress and muster a draw. One step forward and one step backward in typical Kongo fashion.
While last night’s main event was very exciting it still leaves us with a lot of questions regarding Kongo. We know Kongo’s stand up is top of the heap in the division. We know Kongo has tenacity and resilience being the only man to go three rounds with Cain Velasquez and knockout Pat Barry after being essentially knocked out twice moments before. We have seen moments of technical competence on the ground but only when initiated by Kongo. Kongo needs a top opponent in his next fight and needs to win decisively. No more punching bags (Al-Turk, Buentello) or guys suited specifically to play into Kongo’s game. Give Kongo a top 10 opponent and lets see what he can do.
Posted by J. Jacques »
Add Comment »Jung Chan-Sung is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport today. Donned “The Korean Zombie” for his ability to take heavy punishment and still push forward; the Zombie exemplifies the type of fighter MMA fans embrace. Win, Lose, or draw the Zombie comes to fight. Following his spectacular 2nd round submission finish of Leonard Garcia back in March many of us are wondering when will we get to see him back in action, and against who?
While the Korean Zombie isn’t in line for a shot at UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo’s belt there are still some very intriguing match ups that can be made.
First let’s slim out the list by removing fighters with an upcoming fight. Rani Yahya, who the Zombie was scheduled to fight back in January, is slated to fight undefeated Chad Mendes at UFC 133 in August. Mike Brown and Nam Phan who are both coming off losses in their last fights are also scheduled fight on that same UFC 133 card in Philadelphia. The red-hot Erik “New Breed” Koch is slated to fight Ultimate Fighter Season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins at UFC Fight Night in September.
Now lets run down a list of potential opponents that are coming off a win or high profile match ups. George Roop, who holds a head kick knockout win over the Zombie, just defeated Josh Grispi a few weeks ago and is looking great. A rematch between the Zombie and Roop has tons of potential to be an excellent fight. Dustin Poirier who has looked great lately is coming off of wins over Jason Young and Josh Grispi in his first two UFC fights. Poirier’s record sports 11 wins with 5 knockouts and 3 submissions all by armbar.
Diego Nunes, who recently came off a hard fought loss to Kenny Florian, could also be a potential fight of the night. Nunes’s speed, power, and submission prowess would surely push the Zombie to bring his A-game. And finally the fight I’d personally love to see, Korean Zombie vs Mark Hominick. Shortly after Hominick’s loss to Jose Aldo the Zombie issued a challenge to Hominick via Twitter to which Hominick said he would “glady accept”.
Clearly there are no shortage of tough fights available at 145lbs for the Zombie and whoever the next opponent materializes to be, we expect nothing less than a war.
Posted by J. Jacques »
2 Comments »Days and weeks before the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix the MMA world was teaming with anticipation of a potential Alistair Overeem versus Fedor Emelianenko semi final bout. This is the heavyweight fight everyone wanted to happen; and needed to happen. In the first round of the tournament Fedor was slated to fight the massive and heavy handed Antonio ‘Big Foot’ Silva. Silva, proven to be dangerous opponent, was supposed to be no match for Fedor who was coming off of his first loss in nearly 10 years. At the end of the second round all the anticipation for a Fedor and Overeem superfight was smashed into the ground by Silva. The once unstoppable Fedor has now lost 2 fights in a row and was knocked out of the tournament in the first round.
Four months later we finally get a clear picture on the direction of the tournament. On the same night as Fedor’s loss, stand-up powerhouse Sergei Kharitonov knocked out a slumping Andrei Arlovski to secure a seed in the semi finals. Last weekend Alistair Overeem also advanced to the semi finals defeating Fabricio Werdum in a lackluster and borderline embarrassing fight in Dallas, Texas. And former UFC Heavyweight champion Josh Barnett was back in action after a slew of steroid abuse suspensions submitting a one-dimensional Brett Rogers early in the second round.
Undoubtedly up until the TKO stoppage heard round the world Fedor and Overeem were the heavy favorites to win the tournament. Some were also putting their money on Werdum to take the win on the account of his devastating Jiu-Jitsu which he proved effective submitting Fedor in his previous bout. Despite impressive credentials little was said in regards to the ‘Babyfaced Assassin’ potentially spoiling the party.
Josh Barnett has all the tools needed to finish his next opponent (Sergei Kharitonov) and either victor in the semi final bout between Overeem and Silva. Barnett’s wrestling paired with his size and power is tough to handle for any opponent. Barnett rag-dolled a huge man in Brett Rogers lifting him above his head and slamming him to the mat. Almost immediately taking full mount and working ground and pound and submission attempts.
Barnett vs Kharitonov
This fight is a nightmare scenario for Kharitonov. Barnett can easily dictate the pace of this fight by exploiting Kharitonov’s suspect grappling and ground game. Once on the ground Kharitonov will have no answer for the relentless attack of a much larger Barnett. If Kharitonov brings the same plodding footwork that he used in the Arlovski fight Barnett will have this fight on the ground in no time.
Barnett vs Overeem
The most feared heavyweight striker in MMA didn’t live up to his name on Saturday night. Overeem, trying so desperately to avoid the takedowns of Werdum managed to get out struck by the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master on his feet and offer very little in return. In the end that little was enough to score a decision victory. The plan, albeit a bit boring, was very smart. But if Overeem was so worried about Werdum’s takedown’s, how will he handle Barnett’s? Does Overeem still possess the ground game he used to?
Barnett vs Silva
This match up in the most intriguing out of the bunch. Silva is strong, durable, and very resilient. Mike Kyle dropped Silva early in their bout and reigned down five minutes of ground and pound before Silva came back in round two and pounded him out in full mount. Barnett who displayed some decent Muay Thai in his fight against Monson would benefit from keeping this fight standing. Silva, who has displayed some less than desirable take down attempts would struggle with a more seasoned Barnett. This allows for Barnett to dictate where he wants this fight to take place.
Josh Barnett is the man to beat
The former UFC Heavyweight champ has all the tools to win this tournament decidedly. Barnett possesses knockout power in his hands and knees and a submission game that has landed him 4 submission wins in his last 7 victories dating back to 2008. That coupled with a top-notch wrestling game which allows him to dictate the fight is a huge obstacle for Kharitonov, Overeem, or Silva to overcome.